Boma - Flavors of Africa Boma is consistently rated as one of the best restaurants in Walt Disney World—it’s as much an attraction at the Animal Kingdom Lodge as, well, the animals. Boma’s buffet includes fresh, seasonal, well-prepared offerings at each meal station. (Serving utensils are replaced very often these days.) And the value, at both breakfast and dinner, is almost impossible to beat. Advance Reservations are a must—walkup tables here are few and far between.

Jambo House Private Dining

Jiko - The Cooking Place Tucked away in a quiet corner of Animal Kingdom Lodge, Jiko is one of the true hidden gems of fine dining in Walt Disney World. Superb service in a nonfussy atmosphere can be tough to pull off, but Jiko does that and more, welcoming guests into the cooking place for a meal packed with truly unique flavors. Families will enjoy the dining room’s perpetual sunset, while solo diners or small parties may want to take advantage of the cooking place’s seating for both dinner and a show. Jiko has remained good for a long time, even through chef and staff changes. The experience of this reader from Columbia, Missouri, is typical: Jiko was fabulous! My husband and I went on a date and ended up sitting next to a nice family who had two younger kids with them. They were a bit loud, but we didn’t mind. Near the end of our meal, the server brought us two complimentary martinis at the manager’s request because of the “noisy” table nearby. That was good service even though we weren’t inconvenienced. In fact, we shared our martinis with them and had a great conversation! Jiko is listed on the OpenTable website and app. Reservations are often available on OpenTable even when they're not on the Disney site. In addition, there's no cancellation fee with OpenTable reservations.

The Mara The quick service option at Animal Kingdom Lodge - Jambo House. Located near the main pool.

Uzima Springs Pool Bar Uzima Springs, the pool bar at Animal Kingdom Lodge’s Jambo House, is a very nice looking bar. It has a thickly thatched roof which is supported by several natural looking logs and, of course, it overlooks the large resort pool and the immaculate building. Another plus is that it has a few African bottled beers like Tusker Lager and Casa Lager supplementing the standard Disney pool bar menu. All of that said, it is hard to recommend sitting anywhere near the bar while enjoying your drink. Wandering just to the end of the pool finds you near the one-of-a-kind (on Disney property anyway) savannah, where you can enjoy your drink while enjoying the peaceful movements of giraffes and zebras.

Victoria Falls Lounge Victoria Falls is the lounge located in Animal Kingdom Lodge’s Jambo House (the original, and still primary, building) and it is a lounge that we are slightly conflicted about. It is one of the prettiest bars you’ll find, with its dark wood floor, imitation stonework, casual African furniture, and beautiful lighting. It is also a strangely located lounge that can be loud, and has a somewhat disappointing menu. The theme of Victoria Falls is hard to pinpoint but it appears to represent, in a very abstract way, the cliffs found above the bar’s namesake waterfall. The giant, stepped pillars can easily be seen as layered rock and the lounge itself is literally above the small waterfall found outside of the restaurants Jiko and Boma below. Speaking of its location, the lounge is oddly positioned--in between the two restaurants and the lobby, both horizontally and vertically. In order to enter Victoria Falls you can either walk up from the restaurant level or down from the lobby level. This Victoria Falls sandwich can make the bar quite loud as ambient noise floats by from Boma or the expansive lobby. The drink menu at Victoria Falls is typical of a deluxe resort lounge in that it has a handful of unique specialty items. The popular Victoria Falls Mist (also available at Jiko) is found here as well as the Mt. Kilimarita (tequila, tangerine liqueur, sweet and sour, and cranberry juice) and the Nyami Nyami (a frozen blend of Amarula cream and banana liqueur). There are also a few African beers (the same ones you find all around Animal Kingdom Lodge) to augment the standard bar menu. One thing that is not from the standard menu is an above-average selection of South African wines. It’s far from the massive list available at Jiko, but it is still impressive. A few food items from Jiko can also be ordered here, although very few. Specifically a cheese plate, a selection of breads and dips, and African spiced roasted nuts are on the menu. While the location and the noise of Victoria Falls may seem less than great, it has one of those hard to explain calming feelings that always makes it enjoyable. We can’t recommend a special trip to Animal Kingdom Lodge just to visit Victoria Falls, but a stop here is well worth it if you find yourself nearby.

Zawadi Marketplace

Refillable Mugs Allows guest self-service soft drink refills from quick-service locations in hotels (NOT in theme parks) for $21.99 for the length of stay.